Barrel fermented with extended lees contact & aging.

Testify is the top red wine from Decibel and this one is a dark, juicy and spicy red made from a blend of Malbec and Merlot. This powerhouse wine spent 20 months in new oak, which flatters its ripe fruit flavours from 2019, a warm dry and sunny years when grapes got super ripe and juicy. This wine is a serious contender for ageing but it is also an impressive full bodied, dry red wine right now. Oak sits nicely in this wine, without intruding on the ripe fruit flavours. 

One of the great pink champagnes, combining toasted red fruit flavours and the freshness of a great, complex wine with long lees ageing. Delicious. 

Champagne Laurent-Perrier was founded in 1812 by Andre Michel Pierlot and took the name Laurent-Perrier when Mathilde Emilie Perrier, the widow of Eugene Laurent, combined the two family names after she decided to expand the business.

Eugenie Hortense Laurent, her daughter, inherited the House in 1925 and sold it to Marie-Louise Lanson de Nonancourt in 1939.

Laurent-Perrier Brut NV is enjoyed for its creamy softness which comes from Chardonnay, the dominant grape in this elegant sparkling wine.

The Laurent-Perrier Champagne house was founded in 1812 and is the main company of the Laurent-Perrier Group, whose other flagship brands include the houses of Salon, De Castellane and Delamotte. Laurent-Perrier Group also acquired Chateau Malakoff in 2004.

If dark and broody with loads of black cherry and dried herb aromas sounds like a wine you'd love to drink, buy this beautiful Pinot Noir from the Inlet Vineyard in Bannockburn, Central Otago. 

This 5.25 hectare site is situated 225 to 245 metres above sea level where the grapes' growing season is extended thanks to the elevation, which provides cool nights as a foil to the hot days here. 

Flavours of structured dark fruit combine with firm tannins and a long life ahead.

The wine was aged in French oak and bottled unfined.

A full bodied, savoury Pinot Noir with appealing layers of red fruit flavours, which  drinks well now and can age superbly for the next four to five years. This is smooth, savoury and complex in flavour with layers of red fruit, tangy freshness from bold acidity that is held in balance by weight and texture. 

Volnay 2020 from Chantal Lescure is a wine that embodies the grace and subtlety of Volnay. With its balance of fresh fruit, floral notes, and light spice, it’s perfect for those seeking a wine that combines elegance with approachability. A delightful choice now, but with the potential to evolve beautifully over time.

Grape 100% Pinot Noir

Food match lighter meats such as roast chicken, duck, or pork, particularly with sauces that feature fruits or herbs.

"Tasted at the Mouton-Rothschild vertical in London, the 2010 Mouton-Rothschild is a modern-day benchmark for the First Growth and here, side-by-side with the 2009, it certainly has its nose in front. It is in possession of quite breathtaking delineation and precision, a crystalline bouquet with black fruit laced with minerals, potent pencil shaving notes, a touch of cold slate. It is totally entrancing. The palate has beguiling symmetry, but for me what really distinguishes this Mouton is its effortlessness. Like watching Usain Bolt in his prime sprinting to another world record, this wine is almost self-effacing in terms of its brilliance. Will Philippe Dhalluin ever better this Mouton-Rothschild? Keep it in the cellar for 15 years, if you know what's good for you." Tasted May 2016.

Rating 99

Black Estate - This Riesling is grown on the rolling slopes of our Damsteep Vineyard.  The site's dense clay and mineral limestone provide weight, texture and salivating freshness.  A true character.

The name Mon Cheval is in homage to the owner's champion racehorse, Under Cover Lover, whose winning ways helped the dream of making wine possible. The 2.2 hectare vineyard is found at the entrance to Weka Pass in North Canterbury, and is planted with Pinot Noir and only a small amount of Riesling.

THE DRINKING
With hand-picked Chardonnay grapes in late summer, this Blanc de Blancs is a rustic and unfussy wine with a foamy mousse and biscuit and freshly baked bread aromas. It’s refreshing, fruity and perky on the palate with layers of pear, cherry and orange zest. To be enjoyed during the summer months, well chilled to quell that dissolved CO2. Unfiltered and unfined, this is a charming lo-fi natural wine.

THE GROWING
We will always remember 2021 as the perfect vintage for our dry farmed vines; as though I had direct dial to Hughie the weather god, we were blessed with decent dollops of rain at the optimum times during the growing season, much appreciated as our vines were recovering from the drought conditions of 2020. The one brix a week rule book was thrown out the window in 2021 and we had to be on our toes, ready to pick at a moment's notice, as the brix (sugar levels) were rising on a daily basis.

THE MAKING
Hand-picked single clone 95 Chardonnay grapes from our 'Puriri' block were whole bunch pressed and the juice put into a stainless-steel tank where it was cold settled for 24 hours then racked into its fermentation tank. No yeast or additions were made, apart from some organic yeast nutrient, to help to complete the wild ferment. The decision when to bottle is always a challenging one, too much unfermented sugars and you have a too fizzy bottle rocket in your hands, too little sugars and you have all sausage without the sizzle. Much like the picking decision, I had to base my bottling decision on experience, taste and sugar levels. The ferment tank was chilled down to 2 degrees C for 48 hours then lifted onto my trailer, driven back to our vineyard and gravity bottled at Zeelandt Brewery by the same crew who picked the grapes.

TECHNICAL NOTES
PICKING DATE: 4 March 2021
pH: 3.38
ACIDITY: 5.47
RS: 1.34
BOTTLING: 7 April 2021
F(SO2): 8.8T
(SO2): 24

Te Mānia’s vineyards, established in 1990, are located near the beautiful coastline of Tasman Bay on free draining, stony clay loam soils which have proved excellent for producing wine grapes of exceptional quality.  Te Mania is a two-time winner of the prestigious Bragato Trophy for Best of Show.

Nelson Chardonnay 2024
The Nelson region has established a strong reputation for this classic variety producing many top award-winning wines. Te Mānia Chardonnay is an elegant wine made with just a little oak to compliment and show case the fresh fruity flavours.  It can be enjoyed on its own or with a wide variety of dishes.  It’s particularly good with seafood and white meat dishes.

Nose:  Rich ripe peach aromas with floral citrus blossom. Freshly baked bread and melted butter notes with brown spices and toasted nuts from French oak barre

Palate: A concentrated rich wine with silky texture. Has savory, toasted nut flavour’s and a long fresh finish. Ripe peach and zesty grapefruit flavors.     

         
Vintage:  After pressing, the juice was fermented in French oak barrels with wild yeast.  The lees were stirred once a week for 3 months to add texture and complexity to the wine.  The wine was allowed to go 50% through a secondary malolactic fermentation.

Organic Status:  Certified Organic BioGro New Zealand.
Diet:  This wine is suitable for a vegan diet.

Church Road 1 is a range of single vineyard wines that showcase the terroir of our best vineyards. The Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District consistently makes our most characterful red wines, with its warm, stony soils producing low yield crops of intensely flavoured fruit with a full-bodied, rich yet vibrant flavour. Sheltered from sea breezes and brisk southerly winds, this is one of the warmest subregions in Hawke’s Bay, making it ideally suited to producing bold red wines. This vineyard produces dense, characterful Malbec with a core of dark fruit and a fine-grained tannin structure that brings length and drive to the palate.

AROMAS
A robust and characterful Malbec with generous, juicy, dark berry fruit and lifted violet floral notes complemented by subtle oak that imparts notes of cedar, cacao and warm spice.
BODY
The palate is full-bodied with exceptional mid-palate richness. This opulence is balanced with voluminous, fine-grained tannins that bring definition and length to the wine.